Noah Kahan Sets Cardiff Alight with Soul-Stirring Set at Inaugural Blackweir Live

In a performance that will be etched into Cardiff’s cultural memory, Noah Kahan, the breakout folk-pop sensation from Strafford, Vermont, opened the first-ever Blackweir Live with an astonishing, deeply emotive set that bridged the intimacy of backwoods storytelling with the energy of a modern stadium show.

With the sun dipping behind the iconic towers of Cardiff Castle, a hush fell over the packed grounds of Blackweir Fields. Then came the first few acoustic strums - raw, earthy, and unmistakably Noah Kahan. The crowd erupted.

Kahan walked onto the stage in his signature flannel and worn boots, immediately striking a chord - both musically and emotionally - with the thousands gathered. Backed by a tight-knit five-piece band, including a hauntingly talented fiddler and a drummer who seemed to play straight from the heart, Kahan delivered a set that felt equal parts confessional and communal.

He closed with "Stick Season," a track that has become an anthem for a generation navigating growing pains and mental health with hard-earned grace. But it was when he launched into “Call Your Mom” that the emotional temperature shifted. Phones swayed in the air like lanterns, fans wiped away tears, and the quiet vulnerability of the song echoed across the Taff River like a hymn.

Between songs, Kahan chatted with the crowd in his self-deprecating, Vermont-honed humor: “I can't wait for you to get stuck in traffic tonight” The audience roared with laughter and applause.

Perhaps the night’s most spellbinding moment came during “Everywhere, Everything.” As the first verse floated out over the field, the entire crowd joined him in a goosebump-inducing chorus, their voices rising into the night like a collective prayer. It was a true festival moment - strangers hugging, dancing, weeping, all bound by Kahan’s words.

The folk textures and emotionally raw lyricism seemed tailor-made for Cardiff’s green spaces, wrapping the city in a musical warmth that felt both rustic and revelatory.

By the time the encore came - a stripped-back, acoustic rendition of "The View Between Villages" - Kahan stood alone under a single spotlight, guitar in hand, as if inviting the entire city into his quiet Vermont woods.

Noah Kahan’s performance wasn’t just a concert - it was a communal healing, a celebration of human connection through song, and a stunning way to christen what promises to become one of the UK’s most beloved new festivals.

See you next year Blackweir Live.

Words and photos by Sal F.